After days of not doing anything much in Madras at all, I just went to the museum. It was really nice, the building is a remnant of the British Raj, gorgeous architecture, lush, green gardens, and really nice bronze sculptures. On the other hand, the Contemporary Art Gallery was rather hit-and-miss - they had plastic airplane models scattered among 10th Century bronze boxes. Reminded me a little of the museum in Bangkok - its interesting to see what the curators consider museum-worthy.
While strolling around the museum grounds, this old man approached me with a Psst. Pot? Bhang? Nope. He was selling postcards. (I bought a few.)
I ate a late breakfast, and ate too much. There's a tiny shop near this internet access place that I'm at that makes the best chaat - but I'm afraid I might be too full to eat - the horrors! I think I'm off now to grab something to drink. Its not as mind-bogglingly hot as it was in China, but still hot enough that I'm always thirsty. And unfortunately, no Pocari Sweat. Pocari Sweat, how I miss you.
Monday, August 22, 2005
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
And now I am in India...
Last stop - India.
My last breakfast in China was, coincidentally, at the same place I'd had breakfast the first day in China. We had, literally, come full circle.
People asked me why I wanted to go to China to study Chinese, and my answer was always - When else in my life will I get a chance to do something like this? And it was true, looking into the future, I can't imagine a stretch of time where I'll be able to divorce reality long enough to camp out in China, supposedly studying, mostly just hanging out and eating good food for six weeks. My six weeks in China were good, interesting and fun. I think I want to keep at the studies; I really enjoyed the small victories that came with understanding (a few) conversations, ordering food and buying stuff.
I'll definitely go back to China, but I'll definitely avoid Beijing in summer.
As for my last day in India, its been very low-key and mellow. I've satisfied the craving for Indian food by eating non-stop since I've been here. Tonight, I plan to head to a bookstore to figure out where to go vacation for about a week - Madras is fun for about a week, and then I run out of things to do, and get very bored. I'd originally intended to spend a week beaching in Goa, but the monsoon has struck with a vengence, and being on the beach when its raining doesn't sound that much fun. Tomorrow, I've designated family visiting day.
The plan is also to try to come back a week early, so September 1st, instead of September 7th. However, Thai Airways is not cooperating so far - flights seem to be sold out. The agent adviced persistance - its a virtue that I singularly lack, but I'm giving it my best shot.
My last breakfast in China was, coincidentally, at the same place I'd had breakfast the first day in China. We had, literally, come full circle.
People asked me why I wanted to go to China to study Chinese, and my answer was always - When else in my life will I get a chance to do something like this? And it was true, looking into the future, I can't imagine a stretch of time where I'll be able to divorce reality long enough to camp out in China, supposedly studying, mostly just hanging out and eating good food for six weeks. My six weeks in China were good, interesting and fun. I think I want to keep at the studies; I really enjoyed the small victories that came with understanding (a few) conversations, ordering food and buying stuff.
I'll definitely go back to China, but I'll definitely avoid Beijing in summer.
As for my last day in India, its been very low-key and mellow. I've satisfied the craving for Indian food by eating non-stop since I've been here. Tonight, I plan to head to a bookstore to figure out where to go vacation for about a week - Madras is fun for about a week, and then I run out of things to do, and get very bored. I'd originally intended to spend a week beaching in Goa, but the monsoon has struck with a vengence, and being on the beach when its raining doesn't sound that much fun. Tomorrow, I've designated family visiting day.
The plan is also to try to come back a week early, so September 1st, instead of September 7th. However, Thai Airways is not cooperating so far - flights seem to be sold out. The agent adviced persistance - its a virtue that I singularly lack, but I'm giving it my best shot.
Tuesday, August 9, 2005
And more photos
This time, in Beijing. We caught the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace in one jam-packed day.
Beijing Pics
Beijing Pics
Monday, August 8, 2005
Tales from Tianjin
Its been a ridiculously long time since I posted - I blame this on the fact that I had very little to complain about. I managed, soon after the last post, to solve my food woes, with the following trilogy of questions/statements:
I am vegetarian.
No meat. No fish.
Is this vegetarian? No meat, no fish?
I've therefore been eating well, in fact, I've branched out to ordering specific things, like corn or mushrooms, where I would have formerly been content with just vegetarian.
China has been fun. This country also seems to have a rapidly increasing divide between rich and poor - a cup of coffee in some coffeeshops can cost as much as RMB68. (Yup. That is $8.50. No typo there.) At the same time, I can walk to the neighboring market and eat - bread, dumplings, noodles, more food than I can eat, and pay as little as RMB 2, or RMB 3. I've never thought of Starbucks as the cheap coffee option, but it really seems to be the cheapest large cup of coffee in China.
On weekends, I've roamed not so far and wide - mostly to Beijing, which is fun, expensive and chockful of entertainment options. I've seen mostly everything I wanted to see - the only thing that remains is a trip to the (heavily restored) section of the Great Wall near Beijing.
Other weekend trips have included Xi'an - home to the Terracota Soldiers, and also a smallish Chinese city with a distinctly cool, student vibe. We also went to Shanhaiguan, where the Great Wall meets the sea, encircles the town and forms part of the town wall, before rising into the mountains. I've photos of all these things, I'm just running behind on posting them. I'll fix that soon.
Six weeks of Chinese later, my brain is full, my Chinese, terrible. I can form sentences expressing my wants and needs, but when people reply, I have no idea what they say. I'm still pleased though, mostly because I'm getting, as mentioned above, vegetarian food.
Tianjin doesn't have a lot of entertainment options - it seems like. For a while, I tried frantically to find stuff to do. I'd accost random people on the street, and passionately ask them where they hung out. A few weeks of unsatisfactory answers later (in their dorms, in the library, etc.) I sadly abandoned the quest. On the other hand, homework (when I do it) doesn't leave a lot of time for hanging out. However, all in all, its been a good time.
I am vegetarian.
No meat. No fish.
Is this vegetarian? No meat, no fish?
I've therefore been eating well, in fact, I've branched out to ordering specific things, like corn or mushrooms, where I would have formerly been content with just vegetarian.
China has been fun. This country also seems to have a rapidly increasing divide between rich and poor - a cup of coffee in some coffeeshops can cost as much as RMB68. (Yup. That is $8.50. No typo there.) At the same time, I can walk to the neighboring market and eat - bread, dumplings, noodles, more food than I can eat, and pay as little as RMB 2, or RMB 3. I've never thought of Starbucks as the cheap coffee option, but it really seems to be the cheapest large cup of coffee in China.
On weekends, I've roamed not so far and wide - mostly to Beijing, which is fun, expensive and chockful of entertainment options. I've seen mostly everything I wanted to see - the only thing that remains is a trip to the (heavily restored) section of the Great Wall near Beijing.
Other weekend trips have included Xi'an - home to the Terracota Soldiers, and also a smallish Chinese city with a distinctly cool, student vibe. We also went to Shanhaiguan, where the Great Wall meets the sea, encircles the town and forms part of the town wall, before rising into the mountains. I've photos of all these things, I'm just running behind on posting them. I'll fix that soon.
Six weeks of Chinese later, my brain is full, my Chinese, terrible. I can form sentences expressing my wants and needs, but when people reply, I have no idea what they say. I'm still pleased though, mostly because I'm getting, as mentioned above, vegetarian food.
Tianjin doesn't have a lot of entertainment options - it seems like. For a while, I tried frantically to find stuff to do. I'd accost random people on the street, and passionately ask them where they hung out. A few weeks of unsatisfactory answers later (in their dorms, in the library, etc.) I sadly abandoned the quest. On the other hand, homework (when I do it) doesn't leave a lot of time for hanging out. However, all in all, its been a good time.
Wednesday, July 6, 2005
Su what?
Su de ma? is the phrase for 'Is this vegetarian'. So far, not working.
We've been having a few misadventures here, mostly with food. Yesterday, Dave and me walked into a Chinese restaurant (here, they might just call it restaurant, though) -and tried to order vegetarian food. In a move that was as much our fault as theirs, we got some green things and mapo tofu with pork in it. And so we drank our dinner.
Today, we walked into a noodle place, ordered vegetarian noodles (we thought so, at any rate) and got noodles with little pieces of pork floating in it. Evidently, eating the big pieces makes you a meat eater, if they are tiny, they don't count. And so we drank our lunch.
Apart from food, things are good. The beer is cheap in most places (although not good anywhere), learning Mandarin is like drinking water from a firehose, but it definitely keeps me out of trouble... There's a bunch of undergrads around, but the Michigan contingent is the only grad school bunch.
We got moved to the nicer dorms today. We've gone from mostly squalor to Motel 6 - a slight upgrade. The mini-refrigerator is a definite bonus - out of sheer resignation, I might have to start eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in my room.
We've been having a few misadventures here, mostly with food. Yesterday, Dave and me walked into a Chinese restaurant (here, they might just call it restaurant, though) -and tried to order vegetarian food. In a move that was as much our fault as theirs, we got some green things and mapo tofu with pork in it. And so we drank our dinner.
Today, we walked into a noodle place, ordered vegetarian noodles (we thought so, at any rate) and got noodles with little pieces of pork floating in it. Evidently, eating the big pieces makes you a meat eater, if they are tiny, they don't count. And so we drank our lunch.
Apart from food, things are good. The beer is cheap in most places (although not good anywhere), learning Mandarin is like drinking water from a firehose, but it definitely keeps me out of trouble... There's a bunch of undergrads around, but the Michigan contingent is the only grad school bunch.
We got moved to the nicer dorms today. We've gone from mostly squalor to Motel 6 - a slight upgrade. The mini-refrigerator is a definite bonus - out of sheer resignation, I might have to start eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in my room.
Sunday, July 3, 2005
Vietnam Round-up
I'm in China now, and a Vietnam summary seemed a good idea.
Vietnam was both annoying and nice. Halong Bay was a very relaxing time on a boat. The scenery was spectacular, it was nice hanging out with other people after a couple weeks of traveling alone, the beer was plentiful. On the not-so-nice side, our boat company kept charging us American prices for drinks. (Food was included.) Paying $1 for a bottle of water in Vietnam is the kind of thing that annoys me.
I figured the ideal way to see Halong Bay was to own/charter your own boat, and take off. There are a ton of islands (or whatever they are called) and it would be a fantastic time just exploring the area on your own.
Meeting Dave was also fun. I almost immediately dragged him to drink Bia Hoi with me. Bia Hoi - fresh beer, is a freshly brewed, unpasteurized Pilsner. (The point is to drink it before it goes bad.) We sat on little footstools at a busy street intersection, motorcycles were swerving, street vendors were hawking goods, the street noise was on the High setting - but the Bia Hoi was 1500 dong a glass. (10c, baby.) Life really can't get much better.
Another Vietnam experience was going to see the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum. It was surreal - there were spotlights on Uncle Ho, 4 guards were standing solemnly at 4 ends, with very real rifles, and we all filed past in silence. It had been raining, we were wet, and the AC was on full blast (thank heavens!) and I was very cold and very creeped-out.
Dave was convinced I was trying to get him arrested at the Ho Chi Minh museum next door - I would giggle at the propaganda, and in fact, got my picture taken under one particularly fine bit (a picture will be up shortly). The propaganda wasn't overt though, and the museum was interesting and enjoyable.
Hanoi is a very nice city - I liked it more than Hoi An, definitely. The traffic is crazier, sure, but also the city has more than tourism going on. The mansions were beautiful, the vendors didn't swarm the way they did in Hoi An, and the hotel comped my ridiculously high Internet bill.
On balance, I think I'd go to Vietnam again - it isn't a sure thing, like Thailand, but then again, at 6 days, I didn't really spend enough time there to scratch beneath the surface in any meaningful way. Not a problem I'm going to have at Tianjin, I hope.
Vietnam was both annoying and nice. Halong Bay was a very relaxing time on a boat. The scenery was spectacular, it was nice hanging out with other people after a couple weeks of traveling alone, the beer was plentiful. On the not-so-nice side, our boat company kept charging us American prices for drinks. (Food was included.) Paying $1 for a bottle of water in Vietnam is the kind of thing that annoys me.
I figured the ideal way to see Halong Bay was to own/charter your own boat, and take off. There are a ton of islands (or whatever they are called) and it would be a fantastic time just exploring the area on your own.
Meeting Dave was also fun. I almost immediately dragged him to drink Bia Hoi with me. Bia Hoi - fresh beer, is a freshly brewed, unpasteurized Pilsner. (The point is to drink it before it goes bad.) We sat on little footstools at a busy street intersection, motorcycles were swerving, street vendors were hawking goods, the street noise was on the High setting - but the Bia Hoi was 1500 dong a glass. (10c, baby.) Life really can't get much better.
Another Vietnam experience was going to see the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum. It was surreal - there were spotlights on Uncle Ho, 4 guards were standing solemnly at 4 ends, with very real rifles, and we all filed past in silence. It had been raining, we were wet, and the AC was on full blast (thank heavens!) and I was very cold and very creeped-out.
Dave was convinced I was trying to get him arrested at the Ho Chi Minh museum next door - I would giggle at the propaganda, and in fact, got my picture taken under one particularly fine bit (a picture will be up shortly). The propaganda wasn't overt though, and the museum was interesting and enjoyable.
Hanoi is a very nice city - I liked it more than Hoi An, definitely. The traffic is crazier, sure, but also the city has more than tourism going on. The mansions were beautiful, the vendors didn't swarm the way they did in Hoi An, and the hotel comped my ridiculously high Internet bill.
On balance, I think I'd go to Vietnam again - it isn't a sure thing, like Thailand, but then again, at 6 days, I didn't really spend enough time there to scratch beneath the surface in any meaningful way. Not a problem I'm going to have at Tianjin, I hope.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Hey - I'm from India, ok?
We don't scam easily.
I'm so pissed off - a taxi driver tried to scam me! Hanoi has a scam going where the taxi-driver takes you to an entirely different hotel than you asked for, and tell you it is either part of the same chain, or that the hotel has moved. So, I knew about this, and hence took an official-looking taxi with the price to Hanoi from the airport prominently featured, thinking I'd therefore be safe from this.
And then, I was very, very explicit about where I wanted to go. I told the guy my hotel name and address - 34 Something Street. So my cab guy nods, heads along. When we entered the Old Quarter, I idly started following along on the map, mostly to orient myself... And lo and behold, my cab guy takes me to a different hotel, cleverly located at 34 Something Else Street. I'm like - no f***ing way, this isn't my hotel. He points to the number 34: "You said number 34," he says.
I'm pissed off. I pull out my map, very annoyed voice, and say: "Listen - here's my map. I know we are here. My hotel is there - on 34 Something Street, not 34 Something Else Street. Take me there."
So, he's annoyed too because I'm not biting. (Evidently, taxi-driver commissions for scams like this run as much as 50% of the price of the room.) He takes me to my hotel. I hand him his money, putting as much anger and contempt as possible into the gesture. I'm really, really furious.
However, my hotel is nice and welcoming... I stroll down the street and buy a tour ticket for Halong Bay, which I'm looking forward to seeing. Lunch is fabulous, the kind that induces a stupor in you, and thoughts of a nap sound especially inviting.
I've been doing stuff for the last few days, rather than just lazing around, and I feel like I'm overdue for a day of doing absolutely nothing. I think I'm going to give myself permission to hang out in a coffee shop all day.
I'm so pissed off - a taxi driver tried to scam me! Hanoi has a scam going where the taxi-driver takes you to an entirely different hotel than you asked for, and tell you it is either part of the same chain, or that the hotel has moved. So, I knew about this, and hence took an official-looking taxi with the price to Hanoi from the airport prominently featured, thinking I'd therefore be safe from this.
And then, I was very, very explicit about where I wanted to go. I told the guy my hotel name and address - 34 Something Street. So my cab guy nods, heads along. When we entered the Old Quarter, I idly started following along on the map, mostly to orient myself... And lo and behold, my cab guy takes me to a different hotel, cleverly located at 34 Something Else Street. I'm like - no f***ing way, this isn't my hotel. He points to the number 34: "You said number 34," he says.
I'm pissed off. I pull out my map, very annoyed voice, and say: "Listen - here's my map. I know we are here. My hotel is there - on 34 Something Street, not 34 Something Else Street. Take me there."
So, he's annoyed too because I'm not biting. (Evidently, taxi-driver commissions for scams like this run as much as 50% of the price of the room.) He takes me to my hotel. I hand him his money, putting as much anger and contempt as possible into the gesture. I'm really, really furious.
However, my hotel is nice and welcoming... I stroll down the street and buy a tour ticket for Halong Bay, which I'm looking forward to seeing. Lunch is fabulous, the kind that induces a stupor in you, and thoughts of a nap sound especially inviting.
I've been doing stuff for the last few days, rather than just lazing around, and I feel like I'm overdue for a day of doing absolutely nothing. I think I'm going to give myself permission to hang out in a coffee shop all day.
Notes from Vietnam...
I'm not sure if I like Vietnam that much. Its beautiful, sure. But its also incredibly hot and noisy. Very much like India. (But I like India, mostly because of Indian food. Oh, and there is the fact that it is home.) I'm eating and drinking well, that's for sure.
Random thoughts...
Currency: The Vietnamese currency is called the Dong, something that cheers me up everytime I say it. They say Vietnam Dong here, not just Dong - perhaps because Dong means something else? - and for a while, I thought they shortened it to VD. (Which also amused me.) But no, its VND - Viet Nam Dong. (Every syllable is a word in Vietnamese.)
Oddly enough, the Vietnamese writing everywhere is in English script. Not sure if it is because they have no script, or because its really hard to read. Its odd to see teenagers at Internet cafes IM in Vietnamese using an English language keyboard.
Traffic: Is appropriately horrendous, again, very much like India. It took me over two days to figure out which side of the road they drive on here. (The answer is any which side they choose.) Lots of honking, lots of motorcycles, thankfully, apart from the big cities, few cars. My taxi ride into HCMC scared me deeply, but I think that's the 'shock and awe' campaign. Its been better since, or maybe I've embraced the possibility of dying horribly, squished by a giggling, wobbly teenager on a cycle.
My Son: Speaking of dying horribly, I woke up at 4.30am to go to My Son, a set of temples much like Angkor Wat in Cambodia, except a lot smaller. The Lonely Planet recommended getting there early, ahead of the tour buses, and I'm glad I took their advice; there were about 15 people at the same time as me, and it was quite enough. At the entrance, there was a nice concrete bridge over the river, and a rickety old bamboo bridge. Unfortunately, the concrete bridge was being worked on, so the guard gestured me towards the bamboo one.
Now - I am deathly afraid of heights. However, it wasn't a deep river, and the bridge wasn't very high - the worst thing that could have actually happened is that I would have gotten a little wet. And yet - I was petrified. I hugged the side, took very slow steps, and crossed over with shaking knees. (Onlookers must have thought it was the funniest sight ever.) I wanted to tell myself not to look down, but every so often, there'd be a bamboo slat missing. I wanted to tell myself that they would hardly suggest I cross if it wasn't safe - but then again, it was not like I could sue them if I fell. (Vietnam. C'mon.) I thought, in case I fell, that my story might make the press; and therefore they would have ensured the bridge was safe. Then again - 'Tourist gets a Dunking' is not a noteworthy headline.
As is clear, despite the drama, I reached the other side. My Son was appropriately peaceful (it was 6.30am - why wouldn't it be?) and impressive - I wandered among the ruins, took pictures, and hung out for a while.
Gender Roles: The women here appear to do all the work - the men sit and drink and play cards. Hey, its a good life if you can get it - but I think a rebellion is in order.
More later. I've essentially bought all of Hoi An, in an uncontrolled orgy of shopping, and I have to go pick up some clothes before the shop shuts.
Cheers - Reethi.
Random thoughts...
Currency: The Vietnamese currency is called the Dong, something that cheers me up everytime I say it. They say Vietnam Dong here, not just Dong - perhaps because Dong means something else? - and for a while, I thought they shortened it to VD. (Which also amused me.) But no, its VND - Viet Nam Dong. (Every syllable is a word in Vietnamese.)
Oddly enough, the Vietnamese writing everywhere is in English script. Not sure if it is because they have no script, or because its really hard to read. Its odd to see teenagers at Internet cafes IM in Vietnamese using an English language keyboard.
Traffic: Is appropriately horrendous, again, very much like India. It took me over two days to figure out which side of the road they drive on here. (The answer is any which side they choose.) Lots of honking, lots of motorcycles, thankfully, apart from the big cities, few cars. My taxi ride into HCMC scared me deeply, but I think that's the 'shock and awe' campaign. Its been better since, or maybe I've embraced the possibility of dying horribly, squished by a giggling, wobbly teenager on a cycle.
My Son: Speaking of dying horribly, I woke up at 4.30am to go to My Son, a set of temples much like Angkor Wat in Cambodia, except a lot smaller. The Lonely Planet recommended getting there early, ahead of the tour buses, and I'm glad I took their advice; there were about 15 people at the same time as me, and it was quite enough. At the entrance, there was a nice concrete bridge over the river, and a rickety old bamboo bridge. Unfortunately, the concrete bridge was being worked on, so the guard gestured me towards the bamboo one.
Now - I am deathly afraid of heights. However, it wasn't a deep river, and the bridge wasn't very high - the worst thing that could have actually happened is that I would have gotten a little wet. And yet - I was petrified. I hugged the side, took very slow steps, and crossed over with shaking knees. (Onlookers must have thought it was the funniest sight ever.) I wanted to tell myself not to look down, but every so often, there'd be a bamboo slat missing. I wanted to tell myself that they would hardly suggest I cross if it wasn't safe - but then again, it was not like I could sue them if I fell. (Vietnam. C'mon.) I thought, in case I fell, that my story might make the press; and therefore they would have ensured the bridge was safe. Then again - 'Tourist gets a Dunking' is not a noteworthy headline.
As is clear, despite the drama, I reached the other side. My Son was appropriately peaceful (it was 6.30am - why wouldn't it be?) and impressive - I wandered among the ruins, took pictures, and hung out for a while.
Gender Roles: The women here appear to do all the work - the men sit and drink and play cards. Hey, its a good life if you can get it - but I think a rebellion is in order.
More later. I've essentially bought all of Hoi An, in an uncontrolled orgy of shopping, and I have to go pick up some clothes before the shop shuts.
Cheers - Reethi.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Thailand Tidbits...
Its been a while. What can I say? When faced between blogging, and lying on the beach, I chose wisely.
Day 3 - in Bangkok - was, as promised, the laziest day ever. I started out by ambling in search of breakfast. I think that was pretty much the highest effort expended that day too. At some point, I drifted over to Khao San - where some of the previous day's anguish was eased by the purchase of a pair of shoes. Score!
Khao San Road - Backpacker Headquarters...
I was watching the clock rather anxiously in the evening, wondering if I was, in fact going to bump into Dave and Jennie. And I did! We caught up, very briefly. They look like they are having fun. They told me all the fun things I could do in Samui - trekking, jungle canopy something, diving, snorkelling, kayaking... They took a picture, I'm sure Dave will put it up eventually. I wonder if my eyes are actually open?
Caught a flight to Samui on Bangkok Airways, which managed to serve a hot meal on a 45 minute flight. NorthWest, would you like to top that?
Samui airport was very islandy. There isn't really a building, per se. The roof is thatched, but its open on all sides. The weather must be perfect here.
Day 4: Samui. Day 5: Samui. Not much to report here, except I, ignoring the helpful list of activities suggested by Dave and Jennie, slept on the beach for practically two days. On my last day in Samui, I went to a British pub, to get something to eat and drink, and I saw this sign.
I say, since when is mustard a filling?
I actually asked the bartender - he was British - if he was going to charge me for mustard. He looked very embarassed - it was funny. The thing is, I can chalk a lot up to translation difficulties, but he's British. What is his excuse? Nonetheless, a opportunity for endless laughter.
(In the middle, the Pistons broke my heart by losing to the Spurs. C'mon Pistons! Step up the effort, already. I knew I shouldn't have left my trusty Pub-13 barstool.)
Day 6 and 7: Chiang Mai. Very low-effort again. Yesterday, I went on a lazy, river-boat cruise, and ate and slept a lot. Today, I took a one-day Thai cooking class - they even gave me a certificate! It was a lot of fun, and we got to eat our cooking. Yummy. I have leftovers in my hotel room - I'll have to go attack them right after this.
This picture is courtesy the trip to the Thai market my class took in the morning. Needless to say, I didn't actually eat this.
Fear factor, thai-style.
This is my last full day in Thailand, and I really had a blast, even if I did do a very brief overview of the country. I'll definitely come back. Of the places I visited, I liked Samui the best, but then, it had beaches. Its hard to compete with that.
I'm off to Vietnam tomorrow. My schedule is still very up in the air, mostly because Vietnam Airlines is exploiting its position as a monoply and does not allow Internet bookings. I'm going to buy all my in-country flights when I get to Ho Chi Minh City tomorrow. However, the plan right now is to spend tomorrow night in HCMC - the next two days in Hoi An, the day after that in Hanoi - 2 days in Halong Bay, and then back again to Hanoi to meet up with Dave and Jennie before she takes off. I'll post updates when tickets are bought.
Another snapfish album.
Cheers!
Day 3 - in Bangkok - was, as promised, the laziest day ever. I started out by ambling in search of breakfast. I think that was pretty much the highest effort expended that day too. At some point, I drifted over to Khao San - where some of the previous day's anguish was eased by the purchase of a pair of shoes. Score!
Khao San Road - Backpacker Headquarters...
I was watching the clock rather anxiously in the evening, wondering if I was, in fact going to bump into Dave and Jennie. And I did! We caught up, very briefly. They look like they are having fun. They told me all the fun things I could do in Samui - trekking, jungle canopy something, diving, snorkelling, kayaking... They took a picture, I'm sure Dave will put it up eventually. I wonder if my eyes are actually open?
Caught a flight to Samui on Bangkok Airways, which managed to serve a hot meal on a 45 minute flight. NorthWest, would you like to top that?
Samui airport was very islandy. There isn't really a building, per se. The roof is thatched, but its open on all sides. The weather must be perfect here.
Day 4: Samui. Day 5: Samui. Not much to report here, except I, ignoring the helpful list of activities suggested by Dave and Jennie, slept on the beach for practically two days. On my last day in Samui, I went to a British pub, to get something to eat and drink, and I saw this sign.
I say, since when is mustard a filling?
I actually asked the bartender - he was British - if he was going to charge me for mustard. He looked very embarassed - it was funny. The thing is, I can chalk a lot up to translation difficulties, but he's British. What is his excuse? Nonetheless, a opportunity for endless laughter.
(In the middle, the Pistons broke my heart by losing to the Spurs. C'mon Pistons! Step up the effort, already. I knew I shouldn't have left my trusty Pub-13 barstool.)
Day 6 and 7: Chiang Mai. Very low-effort again. Yesterday, I went on a lazy, river-boat cruise, and ate and slept a lot. Today, I took a one-day Thai cooking class - they even gave me a certificate! It was a lot of fun, and we got to eat our cooking. Yummy. I have leftovers in my hotel room - I'll have to go attack them right after this.
This picture is courtesy the trip to the Thai market my class took in the morning. Needless to say, I didn't actually eat this.
Fear factor, thai-style.
This is my last full day in Thailand, and I really had a blast, even if I did do a very brief overview of the country. I'll definitely come back. Of the places I visited, I liked Samui the best, but then, it had beaches. Its hard to compete with that.
I'm off to Vietnam tomorrow. My schedule is still very up in the air, mostly because Vietnam Airlines is exploiting its position as a monoply and does not allow Internet bookings. I'm going to buy all my in-country flights when I get to Ho Chi Minh City tomorrow. However, the plan right now is to spend tomorrow night in HCMC - the next two days in Hoi An, the day after that in Hanoi - 2 days in Halong Bay, and then back again to Hanoi to meet up with Dave and Jennie before she takes off. I'll post updates when tickets are bought.
Another snapfish album.
Cheers!
Friday, June 17, 2005
The good, the bad and the ugly
Day 2 - I woke up at 6.00am (I was jetlagged, ok?); ate an incredibly huge breakfast (some miscommunication resulting from the fact I speak no Thai, and the waitress spoke very little English) and headed out, via a river ferry to Wat Pho. Wat Pho was fantastic - the compound had a school where little kids were studying, there was the famous reclining Buddha, it was relatively uncrowded and tourist-free. I wandered around for a couple hours, mildly lost and taking it all in.
June 17th: Wat Pho - Thailand's largest reclining Buddha, and me. I look really happy because I've avoided the busloads of tourists by getting up at 6.00am. (Jetlag.)
After that, I was templed-out, and I decided to head to Chinatown to see the sights (and shop a little). Caught the ferry there with relative ease (considering I speak absolutely no Thai), but there, I got so, so, so very lost. Winding alleys filled with stores - and I had absolutely no idea where I was. I had vague hopes of heading to the flower market, but I never did get there. So, after about 3 hours of walking around lost, having no clue where I was, I was in need of a drink. Ducked into a hotel, opened my Rough Guide map, and tried to figure out where I was.
Restored by a drink, I was ready to head out. I was vaguely looking for shoe stalls in Chinatown, and then, I turned left into an alley, and there they were! Shoes, as far as the eye could see.
And this is where the truly tragic sets in. (Lauren, if you are reading this, you'll appreciate the pathos in this story.) Shoes, shoes, and none I could buy, they were all for the wholesale trade. The guy at the first stall said I needed to buy 6 pairs. So, I thought, hey, I can manage that. Ah, but they were 6 pairs of the same style.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I think I did both. Then I continued walking for another 2 hours, trying to find retail shoes. I did find some, but like the famous saying goes, the shoes I could find were not the ones I wanted to buy.
Today, by necessity will be a low effort day - the excess of yesterday did me in.
So, Bangkok has its surreal moments. My first one happened the first evening I got here, when I went to a restaurant and ordered steamed rice with my curry. This is what I got.
You want me to eat what?
Fine then. I will.
The next strange and funny thing was this headline in the Bangkok post.
Lanna wedding planned for giant pandas
Of course, I bought the paper. The following is excerpted from the article.
The male, Xuang Xuang, had been ready to mate since last year when he became very active, ran around like a horse, rubbed his genitals on the ground and squeaked like a goat. But Lin Hui only closed her eyes and ears and seemed angry when touched by the male.
I wonder why? These female pandas are so demanding. Reading on, I found this:
Mr. Sophon said some people had suggested that x-rated movies be played for the two pandas to see, but that was only an opinion. He had screened movies for animals before. Some of them appeared to enjoy cowboy films, but he had never tried showing them pornography.
I love Bangkok. This story made my day.
A couple albums to share. Hopefully, this works.
http://www.snapfish.com/share/p=933171119074058797/l=51214268/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB
June 17th: Wat Pho - Thailand's largest reclining Buddha, and me. I look really happy because I've avoided the busloads of tourists by getting up at 6.00am. (Jetlag.)
After that, I was templed-out, and I decided to head to Chinatown to see the sights (and shop a little). Caught the ferry there with relative ease (considering I speak absolutely no Thai), but there, I got so, so, so very lost. Winding alleys filled with stores - and I had absolutely no idea where I was. I had vague hopes of heading to the flower market, but I never did get there. So, after about 3 hours of walking around lost, having no clue where I was, I was in need of a drink. Ducked into a hotel, opened my Rough Guide map, and tried to figure out where I was.
Restored by a drink, I was ready to head out. I was vaguely looking for shoe stalls in Chinatown, and then, I turned left into an alley, and there they were! Shoes, as far as the eye could see.
And this is where the truly tragic sets in. (Lauren, if you are reading this, you'll appreciate the pathos in this story.) Shoes, shoes, and none I could buy, they were all for the wholesale trade. The guy at the first stall said I needed to buy 6 pairs. So, I thought, hey, I can manage that. Ah, but they were 6 pairs of the same style.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I think I did both. Then I continued walking for another 2 hours, trying to find retail shoes. I did find some, but like the famous saying goes, the shoes I could find were not the ones I wanted to buy.
Today, by necessity will be a low effort day - the excess of yesterday did me in.
So, Bangkok has its surreal moments. My first one happened the first evening I got here, when I went to a restaurant and ordered steamed rice with my curry. This is what I got.
You want me to eat what?
Fine then. I will.
The next strange and funny thing was this headline in the Bangkok post.
Lanna wedding planned for giant pandas
Of course, I bought the paper. The following is excerpted from the article.
The male, Xuang Xuang, had been ready to mate since last year when he became very active, ran around like a horse, rubbed his genitals on the ground and squeaked like a goat. But Lin Hui only closed her eyes and ears and seemed angry when touched by the male.
I wonder why? These female pandas are so demanding. Reading on, I found this:
Mr. Sophon said some people had suggested that x-rated movies be played for the two pandas to see, but that was only an opinion. He had screened movies for animals before. Some of them appeared to enjoy cowboy films, but he had never tried showing them pornography.
I love Bangkok. This story made my day.
A couple albums to share. Hopefully, this works.
http://www.snapfish.com/share/p=933171119074058797/l=51214268/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB
Thursday, June 16, 2005
It is raining outside...
and quite frankly, I'm jetlagged and tired. Seems a good reason to be blogging and not being out and about.
I started the day off right - with chocolate and coffee. Thus armed, I confronted Wat Phra Kaeo - site of the famous (and very small) Emerald Buddha and the Grand Palace. The temple was bright, colorful, and looked like a movie set. There were busloads of tourists too - and a few actual worshipers.
(I took a bunch of pictures, and I'm having trouble getting them uploaded. I'm a little too tired to care right now, but I'll undoubtedly try harder tomorrow, when my card starts running out of space.)
Anyway, I admired the temple for a while, enjoyed the absence of Starbucks, and wandered around lost until the heat got to me. I'd planned to also visit Wat Pho, another temple - this time with a large reclining Buddha, but then I made a new vacation rule about only seeing one temple a day. I therefore headed to the National Museum.
The National Museum is a strange place. It is dim and dusty, with a collection that clearly has no theme. The strangest thing I saw there was a Western-style dollhouse, whose only claim to fame was that it had been owned by some princess or something. (Clearly demonstrating that royalty is indeed different. My discarded toys ended up thrown away or recycled.) It wasn't even old. It was kind of similar to putting Barbie in a museum.
I wandered around trying to escape the many school groups that chose the same day to visit the museum. They were shepherded around by a teacher with a loudspeaker, and they were remarkably well behaved.
I'm now in Khao San, which is backpacker-paradise. Cheap t-shirts, fake music and software, forged ID cards compete for space in this narrow street. It looks interesting - hey, a girl has to shop! - and the rain has died down, so I'm off to wander some more.
Cheers!
I started the day off right - with chocolate and coffee. Thus armed, I confronted Wat Phra Kaeo - site of the famous (and very small) Emerald Buddha and the Grand Palace. The temple was bright, colorful, and looked like a movie set. There were busloads of tourists too - and a few actual worshipers.
(I took a bunch of pictures, and I'm having trouble getting them uploaded. I'm a little too tired to care right now, but I'll undoubtedly try harder tomorrow, when my card starts running out of space.)
Anyway, I admired the temple for a while, enjoyed the absence of Starbucks, and wandered around lost until the heat got to me. I'd planned to also visit Wat Pho, another temple - this time with a large reclining Buddha, but then I made a new vacation rule about only seeing one temple a day. I therefore headed to the National Museum.
The National Museum is a strange place. It is dim and dusty, with a collection that clearly has no theme. The strangest thing I saw there was a Western-style dollhouse, whose only claim to fame was that it had been owned by some princess or something. (Clearly demonstrating that royalty is indeed different. My discarded toys ended up thrown away or recycled.) It wasn't even old. It was kind of similar to putting Barbie in a museum.
I wandered around trying to escape the many school groups that chose the same day to visit the museum. They were shepherded around by a teacher with a loudspeaker, and they were remarkably well behaved.
I'm now in Khao San, which is backpacker-paradise. Cheap t-shirts, fake music and software, forged ID cards compete for space in this narrow street. It looks interesting - hey, a girl has to shop! - and the rain has died down, so I'm off to wander some more.
Cheers!
Monday, June 13, 2005
Thailand Itinerary
Also a little vague. But here's what I know so far.
15-Jun Wednesday: I'll reach Bangkok around 4.45. From all accounts, it takes about an hour to get to the hotel. I'll be staying at the New Siam II (unless they've lost my reservation.) Hotel details at http://www.newsiam.net
16-Jun Thursday: Lounge around Bangkok. Also at the New Siam II.
17-Jun Friday: More lounging.
18-Jun Saturday: Still more lounging. In the evening, I catch a flight to Koh Samui, where I'll be staying at the Papillon Samui
19-Jun Sunday: Beach around Samui.
20-Jun Monday: More beaching. (Two full days of beaching. Its a hard life, but someone has to do it. )
21-Jun Tuesday: I get up ridiculously early in the morning, catch a flight to Bangkok, and then a flight to Chiang Mai. Should get into Chiang Mai around noon. At Chiang Mai, I think I'll stay at Gap's House. They don't actually take reservations, so I won't know for sure till I get there, but since its the low season, I should be ok. Updates will follow if this changes.
22-Jun Wednesday: Absorb Chiang Mai. (Mostly shopping, I think.)
23-Jun Thursday: Leave Chiang Mai around noon, head to Bangkok. Wait around in the airport, and catch a flight at 4ish to Ho Chi Min City.
Goodbye Thailand, Hello Vietnam.
15-Jun Wednesday: I'll reach Bangkok around 4.45. From all accounts, it takes about an hour to get to the hotel. I'll be staying at the New Siam II (unless they've lost my reservation.) Hotel details at http://www.newsiam.net
16-Jun Thursday: Lounge around Bangkok. Also at the New Siam II.
17-Jun Friday: More lounging.
18-Jun Saturday: Still more lounging. In the evening, I catch a flight to Koh Samui, where I'll be staying at the Papillon Samui
19-Jun Sunday: Beach around Samui.
20-Jun Monday: More beaching. (Two full days of beaching. Its a hard life, but someone has to do it. )
21-Jun Tuesday: I get up ridiculously early in the morning, catch a flight to Bangkok, and then a flight to Chiang Mai. Should get into Chiang Mai around noon. At Chiang Mai, I think I'll stay at Gap's House. They don't actually take reservations, so I won't know for sure till I get there, but since its the low season, I should be ok. Updates will follow if this changes.
22-Jun Wednesday: Absorb Chiang Mai. (Mostly shopping, I think.)
23-Jun Thursday: Leave Chiang Mai around noon, head to Bangkok. Wait around in the airport, and catch a flight at 4ish to Ho Chi Min City.
Goodbye Thailand, Hello Vietnam.
Trip Itinerary - Flights
Here's the itinerary so far. I'm vague on most of the details, but I'll keep updating with new information as I have it.
Tue, Jun 14: DELTA AIR LINES INC, DL 5275
From:
DETROIT METRO, MI (DTW) Departs: 6:20am
To:
NEW YORK JFK, NY (JFK) Arrives: 7:57am
Tue, Jun 14-Wed, Jun 15: THAI AIRWAYS INTL LTD, TG 0791
From:
NEW YORK JFK, NY (JFK) Departs: 12:00pm
To: BANGKOK, THAILAND (BKK) Arrives: 4:10pm
Thu, Jun 23: AIR FRANCE, AF 0164
From: BANGKOK, THAILAND (BKK) Departs: 4:45pm
To:
HO CHI MINH, VIETNAM (SGN) Arrives: 6:15pm
Thu, Jun 30: CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES, CZ 0372
From:
HANOI, VIETNAM (HAN) Departs: 9:20am
To:
GUANGZHOU, CHINA (CAN) Arrives: 12:00pm
Thu, Jun 30: CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES, CZ 0372
From:
GUANGZHOU, CHINA (CAN) Departs: 1:20pm
To:
BEIJING, CHINA (PEK) Arrives: 4:00pm
Sun, Aug 14-Mon, Aug 15: AIR CHINA LIMITED, CA 0979
From:
BEIJING, CHINA (PEK) Departs: 8:35pm
To:
BANGKOK, THAILAND (BKK) Arrives: 12:20am
Mon, Aug 15: THAI AIRWAYS INTL LTD, TG 0521
From:
BANGKOK, THAILAND (BKK) Departs: 11:00am
To: CHENNAI, INDIA (MAA) Arrives: 12:45pm
Tue, Sep 6: THAI AIRWAYS INTL LTD, TG 0522
From:
CHENNAI, INDIA (MAA) Departs: 12:25am
To:
BANGKOK, THAILAND (BKK) Arrives: 5:15am
Wed, Sep 7: THAI AIRWAYS INTL LTD, TG 0790
From:
BANGKOK, THAILAND (BKK) Departs: 12:40am
To:
NEW YORK JFK, NY (JFK) Arrives: 6:35am
Wed, Sep 7: DELTA AIR LINES INC, DL 5702
From:
NEW YORK JFK, NY (JFK) Departs: 9:20am
DETROIT METRO, MI (DTW) Arrives: 11:17am
Tue, Jun 14: DELTA AIR LINES INC, DL 5275
From:
DETROIT METRO, MI (DTW) Departs: 6:20am
To:
NEW YORK JFK, NY (JFK) Arrives: 7:57am
Tue, Jun 14-Wed, Jun 15: THAI AIRWAYS INTL LTD, TG 0791
From:
NEW YORK JFK, NY (JFK) Departs: 12:00pm
To: BANGKOK, THAILAND (BKK) Arrives: 4:10pm
Thu, Jun 23: AIR FRANCE, AF 0164
From: BANGKOK, THAILAND (BKK) Departs: 4:45pm
To:
HO CHI MINH, VIETNAM (SGN) Arrives: 6:15pm
Thu, Jun 30: CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES, CZ 0372
From:
HANOI, VIETNAM (HAN) Departs: 9:20am
To:
GUANGZHOU, CHINA (CAN) Arrives: 12:00pm
Thu, Jun 30: CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES, CZ 0372
From:
GUANGZHOU, CHINA (CAN) Departs: 1:20pm
To:
BEIJING, CHINA (PEK) Arrives: 4:00pm
Sun, Aug 14-Mon, Aug 15: AIR CHINA LIMITED, CA 0979
From:
BEIJING, CHINA (PEK) Departs: 8:35pm
To:
BANGKOK, THAILAND (BKK) Arrives: 12:20am
Mon, Aug 15: THAI AIRWAYS INTL LTD, TG 0521
From:
BANGKOK, THAILAND (BKK) Departs: 11:00am
To: CHENNAI, INDIA (MAA) Arrives: 12:45pm
Tue, Sep 6: THAI AIRWAYS INTL LTD, TG 0522
From:
CHENNAI, INDIA (MAA) Departs: 12:25am
To:
BANGKOK, THAILAND (BKK) Arrives: 5:15am
Wed, Sep 7: THAI AIRWAYS INTL LTD, TG 0790
From:
BANGKOK, THAILAND (BKK) Departs: 12:40am
To:
NEW YORK JFK, NY (JFK) Arrives: 6:35am
Wed, Sep 7: DELTA AIR LINES INC, DL 5702
From:
NEW YORK JFK, NY (JFK) Departs: 9:20am
DETROIT METRO, MI (DTW) Arrives: 11:17am
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